Page 7 - 김연식 개인전 6. 20 – 6. 29 갤러리모나리자 산촌

has both characteristics of wave and particle, but only one aspect had been considered valid. Leonard Schlein contrasts Newton’s belief that light
is a particle and Huygens’ stance that light is a wave that travels through the ether like water on the shore. Classical science epitomized by Newton
maintained the absolute point of view, with Newton asserting that “the truth is absolute and itself is a mathematical time, coming from its essence
and remaining similar and fixed, regardless of any external object.” However, the world of modern quantum mechanics is relative.
It is an integrated view of waves and particles, meaning the complementary phase of describing a single world and not two. W. Heisenberg
(German physicist, 1901-1976) who sides with quantum mechanics commented, "Natural science does not simply describe or explain nature, but
it is part of the interaction between nature and ourselves,” and “According to the new physics, the observer and the observed are related.” Such a
notion influenced the humanities and the arts. Having been a student of Neils Bohr (Danish physicist, 1885-1962), Leonard Schlein introduces a
philosophical stance that has expanded from Bohr’s perspective. “Like waves and particles, mind and the universe are entangled and inextricably
integrated.” (J.A. Wheeler, American physicist, 1911-2008). Such interpretation implies that the aspects of the mind and the universe form a paired
system. This is where art and physics can come across each other. In the case of JeongSan, the Buddhist worldview is accompanied. Schlein also
states in his book that "In the paradigm of our time, we recognize four fundamental elements of reality: space, time, energy, and matter. These
elements form a holistic mandala.”
Schlein traces the relationship between quantum and imagination through linguistics, explaining that the word “imagination” comes from the
Greek word “Phantasia”, which is rooted in the word for light (phaos). First, let's take a look at the artwork that directly represents this exhibition; [The
Drive of Waves and Particles-5] (hereinafter the titles will be referred to only by its number) forms a complementary cosmos through overlapping
lines, and the particles placed in between. The piece [-41] is also a universe where waves and particles coexist, giving off the impression of a natural
landscape like seawater with flow and bubbles. And, if you take this as a landscape, that is an omniscient point of view or perspective of the mind.
Waves and particles are aspects of matter, energy, and motion. The interconnected nets that create the various patterns in [-1] have the power to
engulf, creating white foam. The piece [-10] suggests high density with its distinct lines of nets clearer than any other work.
The piece [-21] has a dense wavelength of force as if forming the universe by clumping together the dust in space. [-38] contains a movement like
a comet or that of an elementary particle, recalling the science of determining shape and movement by the direction of electromagnetic waves. In
this particular exhibition, a group of works in round shapes meddling with one another is quite distinct. The various net-like shapes in Kim’s works
are also the result of mutual interference, which differ in color and density. [-2] shows round wavelengths that intrude on one another. [-7] has a
realm of interfering waves with another shape barging in like a tide, showing force against force. In [-11], a realm meets a realm, wave meets wave.
In [-27], the part without waves draws more attention to the waves. A change has begun. In JeongSan’s work, the power of color meets complex
shapes and creates an explosive effect. In [-32], the combination of bright colors creates an incredibly energetic flow of veining.

In Schelein’s aforementioned publication, the author discovered that there was an assurance until the mid-19th century that color was a unique
property of matter, but scientists have discovered the color to be the light of changing wavelengths. In JeongSan’s paintings, color is the
wavelength; The artist brings wavelengths harbored by light to appear as colors. The light and color in the paintings endlessly subdivide the
spectrum modeled by Newton. The color blue, in particular, recalls the sea which bears a cosmic dimension on Earth. The artist’s “sea” moves
infinitely on the inside and out. [-24] and [-29] manifest various nuances that the color blue holds, and the blue hue in the piece [-9] grants the
flowing character like the seawater to the moving image. In [-3], the combination of blue and white crashes in like a tide. Even rocks or land are
described in motion, enabling fluidity; Kim sees the ocean even in hard rocks. In [-2] with a solid mineral-like surface, lies a wavy ocean. [-30] and [-46]
that have a brownish appearance suggest the fluidity that may be inherent in solid matter.
This likens to the overflow of muddy water from a flood or the collapse of a dam. The dark red of [-37] evokes the image of lava streaming down
with great energy. The cracks engraved in [-12] are the source of the fluidity of all solid things, suggesting that the solid now may become fluid
later. In JeongSan’s paintings, there is a clear choice of the top and the bottom. Some of his paintings may seem like the foreground of a natural
landscape. The oddly shaped stone in [-4] also bears a net within, and the piece [-20] has a beach-like view with the seawater surging in. It is only
that a topographic map happens to have a different perspective of the landscape. [-15] seemingly has a topography containing a deep lake, and
[-18] that strikes as a river and its mouth marks the terrain with contour lines like a relief map. The flowing shapes of the ocean and the land are also
repeated in organisms, produced by its ecosystem. And, the ecosystem is itself "the web of life" (book title by an American physicist, Fritzof Capra,
b.1939).
The group of works remindful of plants, due to their colors, has the aspect of the cosmos in the dense net that does not miss anything. Of course,
it is not an external representation of an organism, but the internal or a cross-section image of movement. The piece [-16] seems like the cross-
section of the red cabbage, while [-43] and [-45] spread for cellular observation. The inclusion of the color green gives the appearance of plant
cells, with numerous creases on the seeds of a plant that shall unfold by growing. The net in grayscale keeps the focus on the shape. In a world
dominated by brightness and darkness, light becomes special. In the achromatic painting of [-34], bright lines seem almost like reflected light.
The no-color tendency can be found in the round-shaped piece of [-47] as well. [-14] and [-44] which resemble the landscape of the melting Arctic
Ocean due to global warming have another wave impending due to the raised sea level. When several canvases of the same format - such as round
canvases – are displayed side by side, there is a potential sense of movement: the interchange between color and non-color, or the alteration of
concentration or density of the net.

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